


Who We Used to Be

by SpencerRemyLvr



Series: A Collection of Ideas [5]
Category: Criminal Minds, X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Amnesia, Close Friendship, Friends and Lovers, Jealous partners, M/M, Mutant Spencer, Slight Regression
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-03
Updated: 2015-01-03
Packaged: 2018-03-05 01:43:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3100397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpencerRemyLvr/pseuds/SpencerRemyLvr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Amnesia Remy"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Who We Used to Be

**Author's Note:**

> The first two sections have been sitting on my computer for at least a year. I just spell checked them and then added the rest to finish off this prompt :)

Spencer was at work when a call came in to his private cell phone. He was sitting at his desk in the bullpen, working on his reports, when his pocket rang. He looked down at his pocket with surprise. The only time his cell phone rang was when it was the team or Remy. Any other calls he received always went to his home phone. But Remy never called him during the daytime. He always called in at night, to give him better odds of catching Spencer while he wasn’t working.

When Spencer pulled the phone out, he didn’t recognize the number. Brow furrowed, he flipped the phone open and put it up to his ear. “Dr. Reid.”

 _“Hello, Dr. Reid.”_ A warm, female voice answered. _“I’m very sorry to disturb you. I hope I’m not interrupting anything important.”_

Spencer sat back in his chair. “Not technically. How can I help you?” He saw the strange look he was getting from Emily and he shrugged, not quite sure himself what was going on. Then the woman spoke again and his full attention was on his phone. _“I know you don’t know me, but my name is Ororo. You and I share a mutual friend.”_

Every inch of Spencer went on alert. He sat up straighter and his hand tightened on his phone. “I know who you are, Ms. Munroe.” A thousand questions begged to be asked. But considering where he was, only one came out. “Is he okay?” Even that short question was enough to further arouse the curiosity of the people watching him. Emily and Derek both gave up the pretense of doing other things and they were openly watching him now. Spencer ignored them. Right now there was something much more pressing and much more important.

Ororo’s answer came quickly. _“He is alive and, so far as we can tell, uninjured.”_ She reassured him. There was on time for him to feel relief before she continued. _“However, something_ is _wrong. We were visited by a group of his former associates. During that visit, something seems to have been done that we don’t quite understand. Our friend seems to be stuck in his mind somewhere back in the time that you knew him, before he knew us.”_

“Shit.” The uncharacteristic curse slipped from Spencer.

_“Our sentiments exactly. We’ve been forced to lock him in a room to prevent him from vanishing on us. Once, my brother gave me your name and number and told me that, if anything ever happened to him, you were the number to call. Right now, you are the only person I could think of that might be able to help him. He would recognize you and trust you. With that trust, we might be able to help him.”_

There was no need for Spencer to even stop to think about it. He was already moving, closing the file on his desk and starting to put things away. “I’ll be on the first flight out.” He told her. Grabbing his messenger bag, he lifted it and put a few things inside. “I just need to speak to my boss to arrange the time off and then I’ll head to the airport. I’ll call you back to let you know my arrival time. Can you arrange to have someone pick me up from the airport?”

_“I will do so myself. Thank you, Spencer. Thank you so very much.”_

“Of course. I’ll return your call shortly.”

Spencer hung up his phone and rose to his feet. He was stuffing his phone into his bag when Derek called out “Reid? Is everything okay?”

“I don’t know.” Spencer answered honestly. He pulled the strap of his bag over his head and looked to his friends. He had to give them some kind of answer, even if he had to be careful about how he worded this. “A friend of mine is…he’s sick and they’re not quite sure what’s wrong with him, but it’s bad and I need to get out there.”

“Go ahead, Reid.” Another voice called. Spencer spun to find David standing on the upper walk, leaning on the bars and looking down at him. The senior profiler gestured towards Aaron’s office, which Spencer saw was empty, and said “Hotch had a meeting with Erin. I’ll let him know you’ve got an emergency. You take all the time you need, just check in and keep us informed.”

Gratitude ran through Spencer. He clenched his hands on the strap of his bag and managed a weak smile. “Thanks, Rossi.” He breathed out. He had no idea just how much his body language was screaming out his worry to his friends. All Spencer could focus on was getting out to New York and finding out what was going on with Remy. Even as he bid his friends goodbye and hurried over towards the elevator, Spencer's mind kept replaying the conversation with Ororo, running over everything again and again. It wasn’t hard to figure out what her discreet words meant. Someone had attacked the mansion. Judging by the ‘old associates’ part, it had to be the Marauders, meaning that Sinister was most likely involved as well. If Remy didn’t remember any of the X-Men, that had to mean that Sinister had messed with his mind somehow. Why would he make Remy forget his time with the X-Men, though? _To make him come back, obviously. If he doesn’t remember working with the X-men, then he’s probably at a time in his memories where he worked for Sinister. This is the man’s latest ploy to bring Remy back to him._

Well, the hell if it was going to work. Spencer's spine firmed and determination filled him. He marched out of the elevator when it stopped and headed straight outside, hurrying to catch the bus. He had ridden it in to work today, thankfully. That meant he didn’t have to worry about his car now. While he waited for the bus, he pulled out his phone and started making calls, arranging his flight out of here. He would go to Remy and he would do everything he could to help his friend. Sinister wasn’t going to get Remy back; not now, not ever.

CXCX

Four hours later, Spencer was impatiently making his way away from the baggage area. He wore his messenger bag and carried his travel-bag in hand, trying so hard not to let his irritation show. His travel had proved to be a bigger pain in the ass than he’d originally thought it would be. Upon arriving at the airport, he realized that he was still armed and he had to call up Derek to ask his friend to bring him a proper case for his weapon. Traveling without it never even crossed his mind. Too many things had happened to him and to other members of the team, even when they were on a vacation, for him to entertain the idea of being unarmed somewhere. Thankfully, Derek had hurried over, bringing him the proper case needed to lock away his firearm as well as a suitcase to transfer his stuff into so that he could check it all into checked baggage.

When he arrived here in New York, it took a bit for Spencer to get his baggage and to run through all the things necessary. But finally he had his bag back and his gun discreetly in his messenger bag and he could turn his attention to the important things. His eyes scanned the terminal, looking for the one person he needed, one that would stand out amongst the crowd. Sure enough, it didn’t take him long to spot her. A beautiful woman with dark skin and white hair? Ororo was definitely not a woman to blend in to the crowds. She drew appreciative eyes from all over. Spencer spotted her and quickly slipped his way around people to rush over to her.

She smiled when he reached her. Much to his appreciation, she didn’t offer her hand, though Remy had told him how touchy she was. He had no idea that Remy had once warned her how little Spencer liked being touched by people he didn’t know, or how awkward he felt being touched even by people he _did_ know. “Spencer. It is so very good to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you from Remy.” She said warmly.

Manners bade Spencer be just as polite in return. It took a lot of effort for him to manage it when his mind was so full of worry. Still, his Mom had raised him to be respectful, especially to a woman, and he drummed up as much of a smile as he could. “The pleasure’s all mine, Ms. Munroe. Remy speaks of you often, as well.” That was the best that Spencer could manage. His smile faded and he couldn’t hold in his question anymore. “How is he?”

“He is well. The same as before, but no worse.” With one hand, Ororo gestured for him to follow her, leading him through the crowded terminal. “While his memory is still altered, he seems to be suffering nothing else. At least, as far as we can tell. He does not trust us, nor does he want us near him. He seems to believe that this is some sort of trap on our part. Physically, he won’t let us close. Mentally, he’s raised his shields up as high as possible and any attempt to touch them is quickly rebuffed.”

“I bet.” Spencer said wryly. He knew what Remy’s shields could be like and just how nasty they could get.

Someone materialized out of the crowd on Ororo’s other side, startling Spencer slightly. It was a young man with blond hair, who smiled brightly at Ororo, yet sounded serious as he said “Things are clear in here. Nothing so far.”

“Good.” Ororo murmured. She caught Spencer looking at them and she was smiling once more. She lifted a hand, tucking it into the crook of his elbow. Immediately he crooked his arm and straightened his posture, ‘escorting’ her. That only made her smile warm. “Do not worry, Spencer. We are simply taking precautions after today’s…visit.”

Ah. A logical plan. Part of Spencer relaxed now that he understood while the rest of him tensed in an entirely new way. Every bit of him went on alert. If he hadn’t been so caught up in worry about Remy, he would’ve already thought of this. It was logical to assume that there’d could end up being trouble. “Very smart.” Spencer murmured back to her. His eyes scanned the area as they stepped out of the terminal. He let Ororo lead him over towards the parking lot. It wasn’t hard to figure out which vehicle was there for them. The person standing at the side of one SUV gave it away. Though Spencer didn’t know him personally, he knew him through Remy and through the little information he’d gleaned on his own afterwards. Scott Summers, aka Cyclops. He was standing at attention beside the SUV, clearly watching around them for any trouble.

When they got close, Scott opened the door to the backseat, still watching around them. Spencer let Ororo bundle him inside without any fuss. He slipped into the backseat, her at his side, and watched as the door was shut and then Scott and the other man went to the front seats. Scott climbed in behind the wheel. In no time flat, the car was on its way out of the parking lot and down the road.

Ororo turned in her seat once they were out on the road. She reached out, putting her hand on Spencer's knee. “Thank you so much for coming, Spencer, and for following us out of there without asking any of the questions I’m sure you have. I know that a lot of this must not make much sense right now.”

“Actually, it makes plenty of sense, ma’am.” Spencer countered. “If I had been thinking clearly on the flight, I would’ve realized it all sooner. Bringing an escort to retrieve me was a smart plan. Let’s just hope that no one realized who you were out to fetch. If we’re lucky, they won’t realize it until after I’ve arrived.”  He turned his body towards Ororo, judging her to be the best source of information right now. “I trust in you all to protect us. I’ll leave that to you and your friends. What I’d like is if you could describe to me what exactly happened to Remy.”

“We’re not entirely sure.” Ororo said. She turned as well, to better face him while she answered. “We were all in our own areas. We weren’t alerted to any trouble until we all heard…we heard Remy scream.” She stumbled over that part and pain flashed across her features. “When we reached the outside, we attacked as a group and separated the two. Logan picked up Remy and got him inside. He was unconscious for almost four hours with no obvious signs of physical trauma aside from a few bruises. When he woke, it was abrupt and he was on the instant defensive.”

“He tried to fight his way out.” The blond from the front threw in. He’d turned in his seat to watch them. “He almost blasted Logan out of the way. It took a good fifteen minutes for Logan to corner him enough for Hank to sedate him. Then we got him into a secure room.”

Spencer's eyes went wide. “You sedated him?”

The only one out of the group to understand Spencer's reaction, Ororo reassuringly put her hand on his arm and squeezed. “Our doctor has a record of a sedative combination that he reacts well to, do not worry. He has used it before with no lasting effects.”

Oh thank Goodness. Spencer relaxed slightly again. Remy didn’t react to medications like most people and sedatives were more difficult for him than most. He either processed them too fast for them to do anything but make him sleepy, or they could have the complete opposite effect and hype him up, or they could slow his body to dangerous levels. Reactions like that were the main reasons that Remy essentially avoided any medication of any kind unless he absolutely had to. He tended to stick to a natural cure if he had to take something.

“He had just woken before we left to retrieve you.” Ororo continued. “He was still in the same state of mind as he was before. Only, angrier now that he’s being contained.”

Scott scoffed, the first sound he’d made since they got in. “That’s one way of putting it.” He said sarcastically. There was just a hint of humor to his tone. “He turned the air blue with curses and then he started hitting on my wife at the same time as trying to convince us all to let him out of there. Then he just sort of, melted.”

The choice of word surprised Spencer. “Melted?” Then it clicked in his head just what that had to mean. A smile curved his lips. “Oh. The boneless look, right? Relaxed, loose, and looking like he’s almost asleep?”

Scott looked up in the mirror and flashed a grin at Spencer. “That’s the one.”

How many times had Spencer seen that look on his friend? More so, how many people had actually fallen for that look? It always amazed and amused Spencer that people really believed that Remy was as stupid and lazy as he could pretend to be. Spencer knew better. Remy was one of the smartest people that he’d ever met. It was just hidden down underneath and rarely let out to the surface for people to see.

Lost in thought, Spencer didn’t notice that something had been said to him. Nor did he see Ororo wave a hand and gesture for him to be left alone. He settled back in his seat and turned his eyes to stare sightlessly out the window. As the miles passed by, he tried to think of every possibility of what could’ve happened to Remy and how he might be able to fix it. In reality, he knew he wouldn’t be able to do anything until he actually got there and was able to truly assess the situation. There were just too many variables. But it didn’t stop him from thinking, and it didn’t stop him from worrying.

CXCX

The rest of the ride was taken in silence. When they arrived, Spencer gathered his bags and took no prodding at all to follow Ororo inside. She offered to take him to Remy’s room so that he could drop it off. He declined. Right at the moment, all he wanted was Remy. “I’d like to see him first, please.”

“Of course, Spencer. This way.”

The group took off down the hallway. Behind him, Spencer heard the blond murmur quietly to Scott, asking him “You sure it’s safe to bring some stranger in like this? He’s an old friend of Gambit, Scott. We don’t know anything about him.”

“Ro trusts him, and she’s willing to vouch for him. That’s enough for me.” Scott returned, just as quietly.

Spencer mulled those words over as he followed Ororo into an elevator. The fact that this woman he’d never met was willing to trust him and vouch for him, based solely off of a friendship she’d only heard about secondhand from Remy, was both amazing and humbling. It said a lot for her love and respect for Remy. Because it wasn’t just Remy’s life she was trusting him with here; it was the lives and secrets of the rest of the household, too. He knew the elevator was taking him down into the lower levels of the mansion. The part that no one else was really supposed to know about. He could’ve told them that he already knew about it. Not just the layout, but the weaknesses in their security, the placement of every camera, and the best exits. All things that he didn’t really care about, personally. They were just things that Remy had told him over the years. Things that Remy immediately set about learning in any place that he stayed at. Usually, he’d talk those things out with Spencer, just casually, and Spencer's memory logged the bits of information away simply because that was what his brain did with any knowledge he came across.

Once in the lower levels, he was led down another hallway, they made a right turn, and then down another. Spencer laid their directions on the mental map he had from things Remy had said and a nasty suspicion built. They had said they’d contained him somewhere. Could they really have put him _there_? No, no. Of course they wouldn’t. Not one of their own. They wouldn’t put one of their own members in a cell. Would they? _If he’s acting violently and it’s the only way to contain him, yes. Of course they would. It’s the logical thing to do. It keeps him contained and safe. Can you fault them for that?_

His suspicions were confirmed only moments later when Ororo took him into a room that was very obviously a control room for the holding cells. Even understanding that the cells were the smart place to hold him, Spencer still felt irritated on his friend’s behalf. It would be a hell these people obviously didn’t understand for Remy to be locked away in there. The need to get to him was even more urgent now. Enough so that Spencer didn’t even really focus on any of the other people in the room. His eyes lifted to the screens that were displaying Remy’s cell and his whole attention went to his friend.

Seeing Remy lounging on the bed had Spencer sighing in relief. He was okay. Physically, he really was okay. He was stretched out flat on his back, one leg bent and the other one dangling off the edge. One arm was lifted so that his hand rested behind his head and his other hand was absently dancing a card from finger to finger.

A sudden voice startled Spencer out of his thoughts and brought his attention back to the room around him. “Hello, Spencer. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Charles Xavier held his hand out to Spencer, and he spoke in a very formal voice. Spencer looked him over while lifting his hand and giving his usual little wave. He missed the surprised looks that got him. Charles didn’t even miss a beat. He just folded his hands back into his lap and fixed Spencer with a steady stare. “I assume that Ororo has explained the situation to you in its entirety?”

“Yes, sir.” Spencer nodded, eyes flashing up to the monitor again and then back to Charles.

“She believes that you are our best bet in helping our young friend.” What exactly he felt about that, he didn’t say, nor did his tone give any hint to. “I feel I must warn you before you go in there. Remy is…volatile. While she assures me that the two of you have known one another for quite a while, you should still prepare yourself. He is not the young man we’ve known these past few years. So far as we can tell, he is somewhere in his memories before he ever came to live at the mansion.”

“I knew him for quite a while before he came here, sir. I’m sure we’ll be fine.” Enough of this jabbering. Spencer chewed on his lip and looked back up to the monitor. Remy was lazily tossing his card up now and catching it again, over and over. The need to be in there grew even stronger. Spencer looked back at Charles. “May I go in there now, please?”

Charles watched him for just a second longer, something passing over his eyes. Then his expression cleared and he nodded. “Please. If you can help him, we would all appreciate it.”

Eagerly, Spencer dropped his suitcase against the wall, though he kept his messenger bag on. It was Ororo who led him from the room. Spencer followed her, but he stopped at the doorway. After a quick debate, he turned and looked at the room again, a shy half-smile quirking his lips. “I don’t suppose I could persuade you all not to watch this, could I?” At the head shake from Charles, he sighed and his cheeks heated just a little. “Of course not. Well, then, at the least I would implore you not to interfere, or to take anything you see seriously. No matter what you see, just stay back. I promise you that Remy, in any state of mind, will never seriously harm me.”

As he left the room, Logan grinned and said. “Something tells me this is going to be _really_ interesting.”

Out in the hallway, Spencer waited as Ororo input the code to the holding cell. When it beeped, she smiled at him and wished him “Good luck.” He smiled back his thanks, took a deep breath, and then he pulled the door open and was stepping inside, letting the door slide shut behind him.

CXCX

He knew that Remy noticed him instantly. However, the Cajun said nothing at first, simply lying there as the door clicked shut. He tossed his card again and caught it once more. This time, the card vanished with a small flourish of his hand. Just a hint of his eyes flashed over top his sunglasses and a devilish grin curved his lips. “Well, well, well. What kinda trick is dis now, hm?” Remy tipped his head and looked up to the corner where the camera was at. “Aint y’ de naughty one, Professor. Y’ tryin’ to pull off some trick on po’ Gambit. Y’r gon’ have t’ do better’n dat, _monsieur_. Gambit knows he aint real. Y’all wouldn’t never let a Fed in y’r lil hidey hole here.”

Spencer shifted his feet and hooked his hands into his pockets. “I’m not real? That’s news to me.” He looked down at himself and then back up at Remy. “How exactly do you think they’re faking my image?”

“Who knows?” Remy said archly. He rolled his head toward Spencer. “A hologram, a shapeshifter, or maybe y’r just in m’ head, eh Professor?”

“Don’t be absurd.” Spencer rolled his eyes. “If the Professor was in your head, you would know it. I’m not a shapeshifter, though I imagine that that’s what I would say if I were one, so I have no real argument to offer there. Though, the only shapeshifter I know is Mystique, and do you really picture them bringing her in here just to torment you? As for the hologram, well, that’s easy enough to disprove.”

“True dat, _mon ami_.” In one fluid move, Remy went from lying on the bed to standing beside it, moving so fast that Spencer barely had a chance to blink. A second later Remy was walking towards him. No, not walking. It was too sensual and too predatory a move to be considered simply walking. He was _stalking_ forward with that combination of sex and danger he had once oozed almost constantly. As it always had, it dried up the spit in Spencer's mouth and had his heart thudding just a little faster. But he stayed in place as Remy closed the distance between them. He stopped just inches in front of Spencer. Lifting his hands, he placed them on either side of Spencer's head and he leaned in, smirking when Spencer swallowed audibly. “Why don’t we go on an disprove dat theory now, eh cher?” He leaned a little closer, their lips just a breath apart.

Spencer didn’t fight the move. He didn’t try to get away from Remy or stop what he was doing. Instead, he stared straight into the sunglasses as if he’d be able to see right through them. Indeed, he almost could, this close. He caught a hint of the red flashing behind them. “What’re you waiting for?” he murmured, his voice gone just slightly husky. “I’ve never denied you before. I’m not going to now.”

“Mmm. Whoever made y’ got dat part of t’ings right.” Remy purred as he brushed their lips together. He nipped at Spencer's bottom lip, chuckling when he got a soft gasp. His tongue flicked out to soothe over the same spot. “Y’ sure taste like m’ Spencer.” He pressed his body in closer, pinning Spencer up against the wall. “Y’ feel like him, too. Even if y’ do look older.”

When Remy rolled his hips ever so slightly, grinding their bodies together, Spencer gave a low moan. Unconsciously he lifted his hands and sat them on Remy’s hips, hooking his belt loops and holding on. He licked his lips and blinked eyes that felt slightly heavy. “You know, there’s an easy way to fix this.”

“Mm. An what’s dat?”

“If you lowered your shields just slightly, you’d _feel_ it was me.”

Remy chuckled lowly and nipped at his lip again. “Right, cher. Just go on an lower m’ shields in a house of spooks.” He lifted one hand from the wall and brought it to Spencer's face. His fingers traced down Spencer's cheek, over his jawline, and then down to circle his throat. “Y’ must t’ink ol’ Gambit’s real stupid, hehn?”

The hand on his throat gave a careful squeeze. Spencer didn’t flinch and didn’t try to pull away. He kept his gaze steady on Remy. “You never did like taking the easy way.”

“Aint as much fun.”

“How am I supposed to convince you, then? And keep in mind…” Spencer lifted his left hand and pointed towards the camera. “We’re being watched.”

Remy tipped his head just enough that Spencer could see the wink he gave. “Sounds kinky.”

“Not mine.”

“ _Je sais_.” Pulling back ever so slightly, Remy let go of Spencer's throat, putting his hand once more on the wall beside Spencer's head. He bit his lip as he looked the man over from head to toe. Some of the mockery had faded from his look. Spencer could see that a part of Remy was finally starting to believe it really was him. The Cajun reached up and took his sunglasses off so that he could stare right into Spencer's eyes. The look in them was deadly serious, at complete odds with the sensuality of his posture and the smirk on his lips. “Tell Gambit somet’in’. Somet’in’ dat dey’d never t’ink to ask y’.”

The request wasn’t anything that surprised Spencer. He’d thought about this and planned for it. It had to be something that was private, a moment between just the two of them, and something that he never would’ve shared with anyone. But it also had to be something that he didn’t mind his audience hearing. That had taken a bit of careful planning. He thought he had just the thing, though. All it would take was some careful wording so that maybe the others wouldn’t understand as much while still clear enough for Remy to understand. First, though, he had to know something important. “Where you’re at in your mind, how old am I to you? I need to make sure I give you something that you’ll actually remember.”

“Twenty two.” Remy said carefully.

Perfect. Spencer knew just the thing to say and he didn’t even have to censor it. He let go of Remy’s hip with his right hand and he reached up, brushing some of Remy’s hair behind his ear. He stroked his fingers over the earring that looped over the top of that ear, sparkling slightly with the small ruby that was there. For a second he let himself just play with it as he’d done countless times before. “I gave you this.” The corners of his mouth tugged up with a reminiscent smile. “It was so pretty. One of the only times I’ve bought something simply because it was pretty. But I found it in a store in DC, right after I graduated the academy, and the little stone made me think of your eyes. I’ve always loved your eyes. So I bought it and I held on to it until you came to see me again, just a month later. I gave it to you with a promise.” Spencer let go of the earring and cupped Remy’s face, bringing their eyes together once more. “No matter where I go, no matter what I’m doing, all you ever have to do is call and I’ll be there. You and Mom are the single most important people in my life. Nothing and no one is more important than the two of you. That’s part of the promise I gave you with this earring. You’ve never taken it off since then.”

It was there in Remy’s eyes; he believed him. Not completely. A small part was still hesitant. But he believed him enough that he took what was, in his mind, a huge risk.

Spencer felt Remy’s charm reach out for him and he opened his shields to the familiar touch and offered up his emotions. He heard Remy’s gasp, felt the shock course through him like a jolt, and then Spencer was being gently gathered up in a pair of arms that he had always been able to count on to hold him up. His Cajun’s posture was still a pose, one that was there for the people outside the room to see, but the emotions that coursed from him to Spencer and back again were strong and pure. Spencer felt the sensation of Remy increase in his mind, paired with a twist of emotions that made a request Spencer knew well. He opened up the rest of his shields just enough to wrap them around Remy, bringing them in their own private, shielded mental bubble. Then he reached out with his mind voice. _//I told you it was me//_

 _//Had to be sure, me//_ Came Remy’s reply. _//Be just like M. Essex t’ fuck wi’ m’ head dis way. Create all dis, jus’ to fuck wi’ me//_

The accent was thicker, even in his mind voice, and that told Spencer just what kind of place his friend was in. He slipped his arms around Remy’s waist and held him just as close as he was being held. _//Well, it’s me. I’m here, Rem//_

_//What happened?//_

Quickly Spencer closed his eyes and ran through the events for Remy. Conversations go much faster mind to mind than out loud. It took just a moment for him to explain everything and for Remy to process it. When he was done, the man was furious. His mind voice was tinted in hues of red, both dark and bright. Anger and pain. _//He fucked wi’ m’ head. Merde!//_

Spencer sent love and used it to soothe down the anger he felt. _//That’s why I’m here. Your friends called me to help you//_ He paused and let his amusement color his next words, hoping to draw some humor from Remy. _//Though I don’t think they realize what kind of help I’ll give. I think they assumed I’d get you to trust them enough to let one of the telepath’s here help you//_

That earned him a snort from Remy. _//Yeah, right. Aint dat stupid, me//_ He leaned in, bending his head so that he could nuzzle against Spencer's jawline and down under his ear. Still keeping Spencer in his arms, he twisted their bodies, rolling them so that they ended with Remy’s back against the wall. He nudged at Spencer's arms until they came up to circle his neck. That left room for Remy’s hands to curl over Spencer's hips and pull him in close, moving him so that Spencer was straddling his thigh. The pose was so blatantly sexual that Spencer couldn’t help how deeply he blushed. But he didn’t move. He stayed there, even turning his face in just a little until his and Remy’s cheeks pressed against each other. Remy hummed his approval and his body relaxed just a little more. He rubbed his cheek over Spencer's, practically purring. _//Aint lettin’ none of dem in. Don’t trust dem like I do y’. Y’ always set me on straight. I take it dey don’t know y’r a path?//_

That made Spencer smile. He wondered if the people watching had figured it out by now. They hadn’t known before, so far as he knew, but they had to now .What would they think about finding out he was a path? A _dual_ path? Telepath’s weren’t exactly rare, as was proven by the amount of them in this house alone. But a telepath who was also an extremely strong empath, that _was_ rare. Their shock would probably grow once they realized that, not only was he a mutant, he was a mutant _FBI agent_. He just hoped he’d be able to convince them all about the importance of keeping it a secret. If the wrong person found out, the trouble it could cause him would be immense. For no one else but Remy would he have taken this kind of risk. But for Remy, it was more than worth it. _//From my understanding, they don’t know anything about me but my first name. You gave that and my number to Ororo in case of emergencies, with the request to call me if anything serious ever happened. I don’t think they even knew I was a Fed until you said it a bit ago. They probably wouldn’t have let me in the lower levels of the house if they’d known. Not that that would’ve stopped me. I still would’ve found my way down here. You told me the layout and such to this place when you first moved in//_

Humor filled Remy’s mind with tints of yellow. _//I bet I did. Gotta make sure y’ always know how to reach me,_ non _?//_ A tendril of worry snaked through him. _//Y’ know how to get us outta here, cher? De door locked behind y’ when y’ came in//_

Spencer curled his fingers through Remy’s hair, toying idly with the loose strands. _//They’ll let us out when I ask, don’t worry. I don’t know the X-Men well enough to know how they’ll all react to things, but I do know from you that there are a few here that you trust implicitly and I saw a few of them out there. They’ll make sure we’re not locked in here//_

_//Can we get out, den? I can’t relax in here, cher. I wanna go get comfortable and get dis fixed and we can’t do dat here in dis cell//_

There was no way that Remy would relax enough to lower his shields here in the cells. He’d lowered the outer layer, yes, but that only allowed their emotions to travel back and forth and for them to converse with mind speech. Everything else in his mind was still protected by the rest of his shielding. It was a risk to open that first layer, which was why he’d been so hesitant to do it. A strong telepath could battle against the rest of his shields and, though they might not get in, they could cause serious damage, both to Remy and to themselves. Spencer knew because he’d been the one to help Remy get his shields to this strength and he’d been the one to help him set up the traps in there to keep him safe. That was part of what really worried Spencer now. What had Sinister done that he’d been able to get past all that to do this kind of damage? Or, had he been trying to do something else but because the shields had fought back, they’d changed what he’d intended on doing? There were so many questions that had to be answered. The sooner they could get somewhere safe and private, the better.

Well, there was one easy way to do this. Spencer sighed and laid his head down on Remy’s shoulder. Then he reached out with his mind until he found just what he was looking for. He didn’t reach to Charles, not quite sure he wanted to touch the telepath after some of the things he’d heard from Remy. Instead, he reached to one that he knew Remy trusted and who probably wouldn’t freak out too much at the mind touch.

A moment later he smiled against Remy’s neck. “They’ll be here to let us out momentarily.”

“ _Merci Dieu._ ”

Because he was still drawing his own shields back up, Spencer was open just enough to catch a stray thought that was broadcast with a wave of anger and jealousy. It only took him a quick look to realize where it came from and that the person it came from was getting closer. His body tensed before he quickly started to try and pull away. Of course, Remy’s arms just tightened around him, holding him in place. “What is it?” Remy asked sharply. His body was braced, ready to move in an instant, and he was already curving to try and slip himself between Spencer and the door.

The young genius didn’t give up on tugging, though he knew it was useless. Remy wouldn’t let go until he was damn good and ready. Spencer pushed against his chest. “You need to let go of me, Remy. Now.”

“Why?”

The door to their room was yanked open and Spencer got a clear view of a furious and beautiful woman, who clearly demanded “What the hell is goin’ on in here?” before he found his view obstructed by Remy’s body. The Cajun had whipped them around, quick as could be, and Spencer was pressed back into the corner of the room with Remy in front of him, hands held out at the ready. He would’ve reached for his cards already if Spencer hadn’t tried to restrain him. “No, Remy!”

The woman that Spencer knew had to be Rogue was sneering furiously at them. She made a big mistake, taking a single step into the room. Spencer just barely managed to catch Remy’s wrist when the man reached for a card. He held on tightly and once more said “ _No_!” He wrapped his other arm around Remy’s waist and lifted his hand to press flat against his heart. “Remy, stop. She’s not a threat. She’s your girlfriend!”

Those words were enough to momentarily stun Remy. He stopped trying to pull his wrist free. “ _Quoi_?”

“Damn straight ah am!” Rogue snapped. “So get your damn hands off mah man, before ah do it for yah!”

That was the wrong route to take. Remy matched her glare for glare and his voice turned hard and cold. “Y’ watch y’r mouth when y’ talk to him, _femme_ , or Remy gonna watch it f’ y’. Don’t no one talk to Spencer dat way.”

They were saved any further drama when someone called out Rogue’s name. Others were suddenly slipping into the room. Spencer paired up who he saw with memories of what Remy had told him and he figured out who each person was. The woman who was drawing Rogue back had to be Jean Grey. The guys that stood between them were very Scott and Logan. Outside the room, once Rogue and Jean were out of the door and Spencer could see again, were Charles Xavier and Hank McCoy. There were others, Spencer could sense, but they weren’t really important at the moment. What was important was the furious man in front of him. Spencer knew that Remy’s need to defend had been triggered and he wasn’t going to just back down now. Not with the place his head was at. At that time, defending and protecting Spencer had been one hell of a strong urge for him.

Before things could grow any worse, and before Remy managed to piss off anyone else, Spencer took matters into his own hands. He used Remy’s distraction towards the two men watching them and he quickly slipped out from behind him. Of course Remy quickly grabbed him and tried to yank him back. Spencer had been prepared for that, though. He planted his feet firmly and met Remy’s furious look with his own firm stare. “No, Remy. I told you, they’re not a threat. These people are your _friends_. They’re here to help you! They’re no threat towards me. Right, gentlemen?” He directed the last part to the others, looking back over his shoulder at them.

Scott looked just a little amused by this whole situation. Though he looked serious, there was a hint of amusement around the edges. “Absolutely. You’re both safe here.” He reassured them.

Logan nodded his agreement, adding on “We aint after yer boy, Gumbo.”

“ _Bien._ Y’ let us outta here, den?” Remy shot back. His body was still tensed, ready for anything. He most likely wouldn’t relax until they were out of the room. In here, it would be too hard for him to fight _and_ defend Spencer. Their escape was blocked not only by the two in the room but by the others that were still standing outside the room.

The tension visibly lessened when they all made their way out of the cell. Remy kept Spencer close and he kept himself between Spencer and the others. The urge to sigh rose up again in Spencer. What was it about Remy that just inspired that reaction in him? The thought was pushed back so that he could focus on more important things, like getting Remy to stop glaring everyone to death. He and Spencer stood off to one side of the room while a group of people were on the other side. Still open the way they were, information passed easily from Remy to Spencer, giving him the names of the people. Charles, Scott, Jean, Logan, Rogue, Ororo, Bobby, Bishop, and Hank. One hell of a crowd for this. Either they were all nosey, or they were really concerned about what Remy might do and they wanted to be prepared for it. Either way, there was no way in hell he was going to get Remy to relax in a group like this. Inside, Remy was prepared for anything. On the outside, he was standing with one leg bent, his hip cocked to the side, and his thumbs hooked into his back pockets. A little smirk curved his lips, blatantly insolent and obviously daring anyone to say anything about it.

Spencer rolled his eyes. He put a calming hand on Remy’s shoulder, mentally warning him _//Would you relax a little? I know you know how to be nice and charming. Try employing some of that now//_

 _//Against dem?//_ Remy sounded shocked by the idea. _//Why de hell would I do dat? Dey locked me in de damn cells!//_

_//Only because you tried to leave and they feared what might happen to you if you left like this. Especially with Sinister having been the one to attack you. They weren’t going to let you go out there and potentially walk right to him, or be too out of it that you ended up captured. Now, be good! Your temper is only going to make an already hard situation even harder. I need them to be relaxed enough to actually let me take you out of this area. Pissing them off isn’t going to accomplish that//_

There was a sharp edge to Spencer's mind voice that wasn’t typically there unless he was extremely angry, tired, or in pain. Remy knew Spencer well enough to know that he wasn’t tired, so it had to be one of the other two. That was enough to have him quickly changing his tune. His stance and expression both lost their insolent edge. He actually swept one hand in front and one behind him and gave the room an elaborate bow. “ _Désolé_ f’ all dat. Aint every day a person wakes up in a strange place dey didn’t know dey was supposed to be in. _Merci_ f’ callin’ in Spencer f’ Gambit.”

“It’s quite all right, my boy.” Charles reassured him. His voice was just as polite as Remy’s had been. “Why don’t we take this somewhere a little more comfortable before we start talking?”

The blond from the car looked back to Remy and then over Spencer. “Is that a good idea?” he asked.

Spencer smiled at him. “Don’t worry, he’s not going to bolt when we get up there.”

“How can you be so sure?”

Resisting the urge to glare at the man, who didn’t know him and therefore couldn’t be expected to understand, Spencer carefully drew in a breath and kept his smile on his face. “Because I’m not going to run and he won’t leave me behind.” He said simply.

In total contrast to Spencer's politeness, Remy snorted. “Course not.” The Cajun said firmly. Though he couldn’t see, Spencer just knew the man was rolling his eyes when he said that. Then Remy was moving and Spencer knew this was deliberate, a way to rile up Spencer and the others as well. Remy turned and slid up against Spencer's side, one arm going around his waist in a half hug that he then used to tug Spencer in front of him, allowing him to wrap his arms around Spencer from behind. Some might think that he was putting Spencer in a vulnerable position here in a room of people he still considered a threat but Spencer knew better. Remy had proved more than once in their past that he was perfectly capable of defending Spencer while keeping him in the circle of his arms. All he needed was room to throw his cards, after all.

Resting his chin on Spencer's shoulder, the man leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Y’r a troublemaker, Spencer. If Gambit left y’ here, it’d be jus’ y’r luck to end up in some kinda shit. Den Gambit would have to come back anyways t’ save y’r delectable ass.”

It was Spencer's turn to roll his eyes. “Shove it, Remy.”

“Afterwards, _non_?”

The sly remark brought a few snickers from people around them. Logan grinned around the end of his cigar. “Good to see some things aint changed. Ya still flirt as easy as breathin’.”

Remy pulled Spencer in a little closer and deliberately stroked his hand over Spencer's stomach. “When it’s m’ Spencer? _Mais oui,_ M. Wolverine. De day Gambit stops flirtin’ wit’ Spencer is de day one of us is dead.”

“As enlightening as this all is, might I suggest we adjourn to my office?” Charles interrupted.

The walk upstairs was a quiet one. Remy kept himself pressed partially up against Spencer, though he made sure to keep one side of himself free at all times just in case he needed to fight or defend. No one said anything until they were all inside of a fancy looking office and the door was shut. Only then did the group once more turn their full attention back to Remy and Spencer. Remy ignored their attention for a moment as he strolled around the room, looking at everything as he passed. “Nice place y’ got here, _monsieur_.”

Spencer shook his head. He could see the way Remy was eying everything and he knew the others could too. The Cajun wasn’t even bothering to hide his appreciation of the expensive items. Spencer hooked his hands in his pockets and watched Remy stroke a finger across the bottom of a picture that was hanging on the wall. “Are you quite done yet, Remy? Or would you like a little longer to drool over the contents of the room?”

A quick grin was flashed over Remy’s shoulder. “Jealous, _mon ami_? Don’t worry, y’ll get y’r turn soon enough.”

“I don’t need to drool over any of the items in here.”

“Dat aint what Gambit meant.” He bit his lip and managed to leer, even with his sunglasses on.

Spencer stared for a second before flushing. _Oh_. Remy had meant that he’d drool over him, not that Spencer could have a chance to drool over the room. His blush deepened a little when Remy let out a husky chuckle. The man abandoned his tour of the room to saunter back towards Spencer. “Love dat color in y’r cheeks.” He lifted one finger and trailed it down Spencer's cheek, down his neck, stopping at the top of his shirt. “Love makin’ y’ flush all over like dat. Y’ look so _beau_ wit’ dat rose in y’r skin.”

It took two tries for Spencer to clear his throat enough to speak properly. “Are you done trying to shock everyone? I think they all realize after that show back in the cell that we’ve been lovers.”

Remy dropped his hand and pouted at him. “ _Dieu,_ y’r a spoilsport. T’ought y’ knew how to have a good time. Y’ still know what dat is, _oui_? Or did t’ings change dat much?”

Though he knew that Remy didn’t mean the words maliciously, they still struck Spencer sharper than his friend intended. He tried to cover it up by clearing his throat and averting his eyes. “Yes, well, why don’t we get this conversation started? I imagine everyone’s had a long day and they’d rather like to get this taken care of.”

“Indeed.” Charles agreed. “Why don’t we all take a seat? There may be quite a bit to discuss here, I think.”

Spencer moved towards the couch at his right, intending on slipping down and relaxing just a little. Remy caught his arm before he could take more than a step. He turned to look back at him and found that Remy had lost his mask and was looking at him with honest apology on his face. “ _Désolé,_ Spencer. Wasn’t m’ intention to hurt y’ wi’ dat. Was just teasin, me.”

“I know.” Spencer summoned up a smile. He reached over and patted the hand still holding his arm. “It’s fine, Remy.”

“Not if it makes y’ sad like dat.”

The words were pure Remy. They were enough to make Spencer's smile more honest. “I’m fine. I promise, I’ll explain later, okay?”

“ _D’accord._ ”

That settled, the two moved to the couch. Spencer wasn’t surprised when Remy tucked him into the corner furthest from everyone. He did it casually, so much so that it probably wouldn’t have been noticed in a normal setting. However, in this setting, everyone in the room noticed. They were all watching what was going on very carefully. Everything between the two was being closely observed and analyzed. None of them missed that Spencer was tucked as far away from them as possible, or that Remy set himself up between Spencer and the room. There was no doubt that he was placing himself in a defensible position. There was no one at their backs and they had easy access to a window for a quick exit if need be. Once, they had moved like this all the time, and Spencer had been quite used to it. It was habit. Now, he was surprised at how easily he slipped back into that role.

Scott and Jean took the other couch while Logan perched on a chair. The blond haired kid took another chair and Ororo leaned against the desk close to the Professor’s side. When they were all settled in, Charles folded his hands down in his lap and took control of the room. “First off, I’d like to take the time to make some proper introductions.” He looked to Spencer for this part. “My name is Charles Xavier, and these are my students. This is Scott, Jean, Logan, Bobby, and you already know Ororo, it would seem.”

Most of those names, Spencer already knew, but it was nice to have a name for the blond haired one. Still, Spencer had a feeling that the introductions had mostly been done as a way to get him to introduce himself. He could see the way everyone was looking at him and he knew what it was that had to have caught their attention. They’d probably heard Remy back in his cell when he called Spencer a Fed. Well, time to see just how interesting this was going to get. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, all of you. I’ve heard plenty about you over the years. My apologies for my own lack of manners before. I was more concerned with getting to Remy than with being polite. I’m SSA Dr. Spencer Reid.” Rarely ever did he add the ‘SSA’ to his name when he introduced himself. But by doing it now, it neatly put that right out in the open.

The blond haired kid, Bobby, leaned forward on his chair to better look at Spencer. “So you really are a Fed?”

“Yes. I work as a profiler at the BAU.”

That seemed to shock and/or amuse most of the room. Scott seemed to be the most amused of all. He was watching Remy with a small smirk curving his lips. “You’re best friends with a Fed? _You_?”

“ _Oui_.” Remy said it without an ounce of shame. “Wasn’t a fed when we first met, mind y’. _Mais_ he just graduated de academy…or, well…” He cocked his head towards Spencer. “Imagine it’s been a few years since den f’ y’.”

“A few.” Spencer said vaguely.

Charles raised a hand, silencing the group. “I think more explanations and questions can wait. Remy, if you’ll lie down and get comfortable, we can see about trying to repair whatever damage Sinister has done.”

That got Remy’s attention, fast. His emotions sharpened even as his body seemed to relax even more. He let out a low, husky laugh. “Oh, y’r funny, M.” He shook his head, still chuckling. “Gambit aint lettin’ in his head. He’s crazy, but he aint _dat_ crazy.”

“It is the only way to try to view and repair whatever Sinister has done, Remy.” Charles spoke calmly, not the least bit perturbed by Remy’s words. He looked as if he’d expected them.

“Aint dat what y’all brought Spencer here f’?” Remy gestured lazily towards Spencer. “Once we’re both comfortable and rested, he’ll get t’ lookin’ at t’ings. Aint de first time he’s straightened out dis boy’s head.” He turned enough to give Spencer a smile with much more warmth than he’d showed the others. Spencer found he could only shake his head and smile back. Despite the situation, despite the trouble it would take to put Remy’s head together—and there were no guarantees, not with situations like this—he still felt a happiness inside of him. Because maybe this wasn’t the Remy that the others knew, but it _was_ the Remy that Spencer knew, the one he’d been before his years with the X-Men had changed him. Before he’d joined here, before Rogue, before Antarctica, before the crap in both their lives had forced them to drift in ways they’d promised to never let happen .This was _his_ Remy. The one he had always loved and who had loved him back just as wholeheartedly. Spencer basked in it while he could. Soon enough he’d try and put his friend back together and this ferocity that he saw in him now would once more be smothered underneath so many different things. But until then, Spencer drew in Remy’s presence, absorbing the emotions from him to hold in that quiet place in his heart that always missed the friendship they’d once had.


End file.
